Fall at the Falls - a photo on Flickriver

Fall at the Falls

Minnehaha Falls

Minnehaha Falls is located near the confluence of Minnehaha Creek and the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The creek starts its journey to the Mississippi at Lake Minnetonka. Including the famous lake, the Minnehaha Creek watershed covers 181 square miles, winding its way through several west suburban communities for 22 miles before it falls over the 53 foot ledge at Minnehaha Falls and then enters the Mississippi. The falls are rich in geologic and human history.

Minnehaha Falls are only about 10,000 years old (very young in geological time). St. Anthony Falls on the Mississippi River, which have now eroded to a point about six miles upriver in downtown Minneapolis, used to be downstream of the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnehaha Creek.

The events that led up to the way the falls look today are complex, but a simple explanation is that when St. Anthony Falls reached and passed Minnehaha creek, a new waterfall formed on the creek, and the force of the water altered the route of the creek and the river. The part of Minnehaha Creek between the falls and the Mississippi began to flow through the old Mississippi river bed, and the Mississippi cut a new course.

Erosion within the last century has resulted in a waterfall that is fairly narrowly channeled and vigorous, especially after a heavy rain or during spring runoff. Photographs of the falls from the 1800's and early 1900's show a much wider, curtain-like character to the falls. When the falls are dry, the older, much-broader ledge can be seen.

The falls are ever-changing; sometimes just a trickle, sometimes a torrent. A plaque in the park explains that during a drought in 1964 when President Lyndon Johnson and Vice President Hubert Humphrey paid a visit to the park, the city had to open up several fire hydrants upstream on Minnehaha Creek to increase water flow over the falls and ensure a good photo op.

The falls area has long been an important site to the native Dakota people. "Minnehaha" means "falling water" or "curling water" in Dakota, not "laughing water" as it is often translated. The "laughing water" translation erroneously came from Mary Eastman's book "Dacotah", published in 1849. The name comes from the Dakota language elements "mni", meaning water, and "ȟaȟa", meaning waterfall. The Dakota called Minnehaha Creek "wakpa cistinna", meaning "little river".

White settlers discovered the falls around 1820, not long after arriving in Minnesota. The site of Minnehaha Falls is only a couple of miles from Fort Snelling, one of the first places in the region inhabited by white Europeans. On the Fort map of 1823, the falls were named "Brown's Falls" in honor of United States Army commander Jacob Brown, who had been commander-in-chief of the army since 1814.

The American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow made the falls famous in "The Song of Hiawatha" (1855), a poem based on Indian legend. A Jakob Fjelde sculpture of the Indian leader Hiawatha and his wife stands on an island in the creek, a short way above the falls. The falls began to become a tourist destination after the publication of the poem. Though Longfellow never visited the falls himself, he was reportedly inspired by the stories of Mary Eastman and Henry Rowe Schoolcraft and images of the falls.

Minnehaha Park

Beginning in 1885, the Minnesota State Legislature began acquiring the land to become the first Minnesota State Park, but in 1889 it was turned over to the city of Minneapolis for a city park. Park visitors could fish, swim, picnic, and visit the Longfellow Zoological Gardens. The park also featured a carnival, horse-racing and a campground through the 1930s.

Today, the park is part of the National Park System's Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. It is basically divided into two main portions; an upper section above the falls which is kept trimmed and maintained like many other city parks, and the lower section which is largely left in a natural state, with trails following the creek down to the Mississippi.

There are WPA-built stairways and retaining walls along the edges of the glen and creek bed. The park has picnic areas for large or small gatherings, a playground, and an off-leash dog park. A bike rental company operates at the falls in the summer months.

The Pergola Garden overlooks the falls and is a popular wedding location. There is a seafood restaurant and a bandstand at the park at the old picnic pavilion, both open in the summer. The park also boasts several historic buildings including the Minnehaha Depot (AKA "the Princess Depot") built in 1875, and sculptures including the Hiawatha sculpture mentioned above and a mask of Chief Little Crow (Taoyateduta) who was murdered after the 1862 Dakota conflict. The location of the statue is in an area sacred to Native Americans.

If you ever get to the Minneapolis area, Minnehaha Park is a "must see" destination!

The above information was obtained and paraphrased from several online sources including WIkipedia, Minnehaha Park, Minneapolis: The Complete Guide and the former AllExperts website.

"Explored" on Flickr, June 24, 2019.

Taken in: United States / Minnesota / Unorganized Territory of Fort Snelling (show map)

Taken on: October 27, 2015

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Camera: RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD. PENTAX K-S2, f/11.0, 0.3 sec, 30mm (=45mm), ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD. PENTAX K-S2
Aperture:	f/11.0
Exposure Time:	0.3
Focal Length:	30mm (35mm equivalent: 45mm)
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Shutter speed priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Light Source:	Daylight
Contrast:	High
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CC (Windows)
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